Claudio Lotito admits he won’t force Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to stay at Lazio and promises to sign new players in the summer.
The contract of the Serbia international expires in 2024 and many clubs have been linked with signing him this summer, especially Juventus.
“I would not sell him, I am trying to extend his contract, but you need the will from both sides,” Lotito told Gazzetta.
“Surely Lazio don’t need to sell before buying and this is important. If somebody leaves, it’s not because we need money. Technical decisions count and I will force nobody to stay.
“Lazio will be reinforced, this is the starting point. We’ll see functional players and have a deeper squad,” he continued.
“We know what we have to do, we spoke about it.
“I have a list of names for each role we must cover with several alternatives. I’ll decide who we’ll sign, but there is no doubt that new players will come, as usual. I made 14 signings last season, not so few.”
Lotito denied that Sarri is unhappy with the club’s transfer strategy.
“There is harmony with Sarri and when there is harmony, there’s richness,” he claimed.
“It’s not a coincidence that we finished second in Serie A and it was not due to Juventus’ point penalty. Some said we’d finish tenth… Sarri is the music director and he counts a lot. If he makes mistakes, everyone plays on their own. He gives harmony, while the President takes decisions and chooses.”
Ex-sporting director Igli Tare left the club in June and Lotito says a scouting department will replace him, but not an algorithm.
“Tare spent 18 years with us. He called me while I was in Molise, telling me he’d leave Lazio despite his love and affection for the club. We are finalising a scouting centre with eight stations and many people working in it.
“We are traditionalists, not futuristic. An essential component that is often ignored is the individual. How can the algorithm know the personality of a player? They can track performances, but not their character.”